Media storage systems, or autochangers, are commonly used to store data cartridges at known locations and to retrieve the desired data cartridges so that data may be written to and/or read from the data cartridges. Accordingly, large volumes of computer-readable data can be stored on numerous data cartridges and accessed by a single computer or by multiple computers connected to the media storage system over a network.
Such media storage systems may include one or more storage magazines and cartridge read/write devices. The storage magazines serve as storage locations for the data cartridges, and the read/write devices may be used to read and/or write data on the data cartridges. The media storage system may also include a cartridge-engaging assembly, as well as a drive system for moving the cartridge-engaging assembly among the data cartridges stored in the media storage system. For example, if a certain data cartridge is to be read, a control system causes the cartridge-engaging assembly to move to the location of the desired data cartridge. Then, the cartridge-engaging assembly retrieves the data cartridge and delivers it to the cartridge read/write device where the user can access the data thereon. The control system may also cause the cartridge-engaging assembly to return the data cartridge to the storage magazine following the read/write operation.
The storage magazines and read/write device(s) may be arranged within the media storage system in a generally U-shaped configuration. That is, the storage magazines are arranged opposite to and facing one another (i.e., each defining one “leg” of the U-shaped arrangement), and the read/write device(s) are arranged between the storage magazines in orthogonal relation thereto.
Accordingly, the cartridge-engaging assembly must be moved, or “walked”, around the U-shaped path to access and transport data cartridges between the storage magazines and the read/write device(s). In some instances, this can be a time-consuming process. For example, the cartridge-engaging assembly may be “parked” on one leg of the U-shaped path in the media storage system when it receives a request to retrieve a data cartridge that is located in a storage magazine on the other leg of the U-shaped path. Therefore, the cartridge-engaging assembly must be moved along the U-shaped path past the read/write device to the other leg of the U-shaped path so that it can retrieve the desired data cartridge from the storage magazine. After retrieving the data cartridge, the cartridge-engaging assembly must be moved back along the U-shaped path to deliver the data cartridge to the read/write device.